Chapter 75: Walker in the Mirror

Longshu Temple.

The wearer of the wooden clogs, having entered through the temple gates, slowly stepped into the main hall. Shadows swelled like a tide, creeping up behind Yusheng.

An indescribably thick stench of rot, mixed with the bone-deep reek of blood, surged forward to fill the entire hall. An ordinary corpse wouldn't smell this foul even after decaying for dozens of days; it was as though the dead of an entire village had been piled together.

Yusheng remained kneeling on his prayer mat, his eyes closed as he chanted sutras.

The Soul-Suppressing Bell on his body swayed without wind, letting out a crisp ring. A seven-colored lotus bloomed beneath Yusheng, radiated a dazzling light, and then abruptly vanished.

He carried several god-level Supernatural Items. Sensing a filthy presence approaching, they reacted entirely on their own before their master could make a move.

Yet Yusheng acted as if he had felt nothing. He kept his eyes closed to calm his spirit, quietly awaiting his fate.

If his journey was to end with his death here, that wouldn't be a bad outcome.

A long time passed, leaving only the faint whistling of the wind behind him.

Time stretched on. It felt as though a century had gone by, yet nothing happened. Yusheng finally opened his eyes and slowly turned his head.

"Master, how did you end up like this?"

The figure standing behind Yusheng was the corpse of an old monk. Tall in life, the old monk now wore a charred gray robe over a highly decomposed body. Long, thumb-thick worms slithered in and out of his empty eye sockets and through his chest, where bare bone mingled with rotting flesh. Beneath the howling wind, one could even hear the squelching sounds of massive maggots feasting on the old monk's putrid meat.

These maggots had parasitized the old monk's corpse for who knew how many years, yet they had never metamorphosed into flies to leave. They had gorged themselves until they resembled thick white ropes.

In ancient times, men sliced off their own flesh to feed eagles; today, a corpse fed the maggots.

The old monk's corpse gave no response to Yusheng's greeting.

After all, most Fierce Ghosts in this world were left with nothing but a mindless urge to kill. Entities that retained human intelligence, like those in the Galan Society Chat Group, were the extreme minority.

Yusheng simply waited in silence. If this old monk's corpse were to strike him down right now and kill him on the spot, he wouldn't voice a single complaint.

Many years ago, countless people had died in Longshu Temple. He was supposed to have died here that day, too. It was only by a twist of fate that he had managed to survive for twelve more years. But those twelve years had felt like a waking hell; every time he closed his eyes, he saw his countless martial brothers demanding his life.

One old and one young, one living and one dead, a master and a disciple—they remained frozen in the dying evening light of Longshu Temple for a long time.

Yusheng did not ask the corpse any more questions. The gentle master from his memories had long since become a Fierce Ghost, wandering the mortal realm for a century in this hideously disfigured state. Even if he did ask, a Fierce Ghost wouldn't answer.

But why hadn't the Fierce Ghost killed him right away? Could it possess an obsession even stronger than its base instincts—a wish left unfulfilled in life, burned so deeply into its bones that it carried over into death?

The blood-red setting sun inched along the horizon, finally settling into the exact right position.

Inside Longshu Temple, the trees on one side were swallowed by shadows, while the trees on the other side gleamed as red as blood in the twilight.

Gradually, Yusheng noticed that something wasn't right.

The old monk's corpse appeared to be dragging a long, rectangular object behind it. One end of an iron chain was shackled to its skeletal ankle; with every step the monk took, the heavy rectangular object slid forward a single cun.

Under normal lighting, the object was so transparent it was nearly invisible. Only now, with the setting sun hitting this precise angle—not a fraction more or less—did the thing trailing behind the Fierce Ghost completely reveal its shape:

It was a faint, colorless coffin.

The coffin's material was bizarre; it looked like solidified water, taking on a faint translucence. One could look right through its exterior and clearly see the internal structure, as well as the large stone slabs resting beneath it.

This was definitely not a coffin from the ordinary world. Even if completely transparent materials existed, what king or general would ever forge an Invisible Coffin for themselves?

Yet the old monk's corpse had dragged this Invisible Coffin by its ankle all the way from outside the temple, crossing the plaza to stop right behind him. It stood motionless, completely ignoring the chance to kill him.

It seemed to be waiting for something—waiting for Yusheng, its disciple in life, to notice the coffin on his own.

Yusheng slowly got to his feet.

In his memories, back when his master was still alive, that lively face had repeatedly told him an ancient and bizarre legend about the temple.

Yusheng had always thought it was just a silly tale the elders used to coax the young monks to sleep.

He never imagined that one day, he would find out the story was true.

"Master...

"You dragged it back here?"

Unknowingly, Yusheng's mind had fallen into complete turmoil. His thoughts were a tangled mess.

Throughout Longshu Temple, the great bells began to toll. It sounded as if ten thousand bells were ringing in unison.

...

...

Living Apartment, fourth floor.

Jiang Yang, Lan Zhu, Zhao Zhenjia, and Gao Tian had regrouped after the hosts in that eerie television warped them to different rooms.

Jiang Yang analyzed, "Right before everyone was teleported, the changes happening to Xia Ta were extremely strange.

"The countdown above her head was zero right from the start. And it never changed, not even once.

"At least right before I was teleported away, Xia Ta was still standing motionless inside Room 413.

"Did any of you see Xia Ta get teleported away?"

Zhao Zhenjia said, "Gao Tian and I were guarding the door. When Xia Ta yelled for us to leave, I immediately grabbed the kid and ran, so I don't know what happened inside the room after that."

Lan Zhu tightened the Dog Leash in hand in dissatisfaction, drawling out of sheer boredom, "Before I escaped Room 413, Sister Ta was still standing right where she was. She didn't get teleported."

Jiang Yang replied, "That makes sense. It means my eyes weren't playing tricks on me.

"Those two hosts in the television called Xia Ta their 'good daughter.' I'm afraid they wouldn't let her leave so easily."

Zhao Zhenjia's gaze landed heavily on Jiang Yang.

"Are you saying that Xia Ta is still in 413 and never got teleported at all?

"Those two hosts played a damn trick on us. Their real target was to trap Xia Ta, and teleporting the rest of us was just a diversion?"

Jiang Yang responded, "That is just my guess.

"But it beats running around the fourth-floor corridor like headless flies, checking every single room.

"With Fierce Ghosts roaming this entire floor, knocking on the wrong door might mean the four of us end up staying here forever."

Zhao Zhenjia argued, "And going straight back to 413 without understanding the situation is a good idea?

"Those two disgusting monsters teleported us once. Who's to say they couldn't teleport us a second time?"

At that moment, Gao Tian, who had been completely ignored on the sidelines, finally chimed in.

"Um, did you guys forget I was here?

"Figuring out which room Xia Ta is in and whether she's still in 413 is actually really simple.

"I can enter and exit the supernatural world freely right now. As long as there's a Mirror in the room, I can go and take a look. Even if the evil ghosts inside spot me, they shouldn't be able to attack me across two different dimensions.

"Conveniently enough, Zhao Zhenjia, your Wind Attendant Buddha covers my final weakness.

"All you guys need to do is wait here. Once I'm done scouting and come back, just send out a Wind Attendant Buddha to pull me out."

He gave them a brief rundown of his plan for once he entered the Mirror World.

Jiang Yang slapped his forehead.

"You're right, I let my nerves get the better of me. I can't believe I forgot something so simple.

"But you still need to be careful. The rules by which Fierce Ghosts kill in this world number in the thousands. Your ability doesn't make you immortal. Even if you're hiding inside a Mirror, stay on your guard.

"If you aren't absolutely sure, just retreat immediately. Don't take unnecessary risks.

"Right now, your life is just as important as Xia Ta's."

Zhao Zhenjia stated, "We'll stay right here in front of this Mirror and wait for you until you get back."

Lan Zhu grumbled in annoyance, "I was supposed to be the one venturing into the Mirror World.

"Who asked you to drag me out of there?"

With everyone in agreement, Gao Tian was currently their best option for reconnaissance. Traveling through the Mirror World to check every room gave him a higher chance of survival than anyone else.

Gao Tian hesitated no longer and stepped in front of the smooth Mirror. Who would have guessed that the two sides of the glass were two entirely different worlds? He slowly reached his hand inside, as if reaching into a bottomless abyss. In the blink of an eye, Gao Tian submerged himself completely, separating entirely from the real world.

...

How best to describe the Mirror World?

To Gao Tian, it felt like wandering into a desert trapped in eternal night.

Or perhaps a calm, pitch-black ocean.

In the distance, there was nothing but absolute darkness. This world possessed no sky and no stars, only a black earth that stretched endlessly toward the horizon. If one stared for too long, a terrifying sensation of losing control and falling endlessly into the void would wash over them.

Gao Tian had no idea what lurked in the depths of the Mirror World, but it was eerie enough to strike fear into the heart of a madman like Lan Zhu. Naturally, he wasn't going to take another step forward.

Fortunately, a long white path stretched out straight beneath his feet, extending into the distance in both directions.

Along the left side of this path—which resembled a silver river cutting through a dark universe—Mirrors of all sizes stood tall. Each of these Mirrors corresponded to a Mirror out in the real world.

As long as he sprinted down this silver path, he could peek through the Mirrors inside the Mirror World as if they were windows, observing the layouts of the rooms on the outside.

And as long as he didn't step too close to these "windows," the humans or ghosts in the outside rooms would never realize their Mirrors were being watched.